Aegon I Targaryen
Aegon I Targaryen, often referred to as Aegon the Conquerer, was the founder of the great House Targaryen, the lord of Dragonstone and the first King of Westeros. After a four year long conquest in which Aegon, along with his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya and his dragons Balerion, Meraxes and Vhagar, claimed the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as his own, the young Targaryen became the first to sit on the Iron Throne which was forged from the blades of his fallen foes. Biography Aegon's early life is shrouded in a great deal of mystery. He was born at Dragonstone, the Targaryens' traditional seat. From there, he and his sisters (whom he would later marry) would become dragon riders, each with their own dragon. Aegon's respective mount, Balerion, was a dreaded beast that few men did not fear. By the time of the conquest, the dragon was massive, and with Aegon riding on its back it was an unstoppable foe. When Aegon was 25 years old, he prepared for his conquest. Seeing Westeros as ripe for the taking, he plotted for years to crush the opposition and see the land with a single king - himself. Shortly after his 28th name day, the war for power began. War of Conquest The first target was King Argilac "The Arrogant" of the Stormlands. The Storm King had insulted Aegon personally in the past, making him an easy first choice for Aegon's conquest. With a meager army supplemented by his three dragons, the Targaryen prince sailed into Blackwater bay with a single purpose. King Argilac's massive host - roughly ten times the size of Aegon's - met him off the cost of the Blackwater. The two met in private where Aegon gave the Storm King one chance to bend the knee. Argilac reportedly spit in Aegon's face and left their tent, leading to a battle shortly afterward. Before the two armies could clash, Aegon and his sisters rode into battle on their dragons and eviscerated the opposing force, bathing them in fire and blood. Shortly after the quickly-won battle at the Blackwater, Aegon flew to Storm's End and burned it to the ground for all to see, showing the lords of the Seven Kingdoms that he was a real and significant threat. Nonetheless, the other kings resisted. Eventually King Argilac was slain by Oryn Baratheon, Aegon's closest ally, and with his death the Stormlanders officially disbanded. In the Storm King's place, Aegon offered Oryn the Stormlands for his own use; instead, however, the young Baratheon asked for the first spot in Aegon's Kingsguard. Aegon happily complied. Meanwhile, Rhaenys revealed that she was with child. She would give birth to Prince Baelor Targaryen months later. The Reach was next to fall. Mern Gardener called himself the Reach's king at the time and laughed at the prospect of dragons turning castles to ash. He quickly learned the truth when the three beasts arrived at his doorstep at Highgarden, and threatened to burn it down. The Reachman quickly surrendered and pledged himself as Lord Paramount of the Reach. Before Aegon reached Oldtown, a raven from the Grand Maester reached him asking for an audience. Aegon agreed to meet the man, who would later plead for Aegon to convert to the Faith of the Seven. In what was more of a political move than a personal one, Aegon agreed and he and his house became members of the Faith. Shortly after, the Iron Islands (which then controlled what we now know as the Riverlands today) fell along with King Harren the Black, who was roasted alive and eaten by Balerion. The tides turned, however, when King Loren Lannister of the Rock wisely bent the knee to Aegon, proclaiming himself as a servant to Westeros' future king. Aegon and the young Lannister lord became fast friends; Loren would eventually become Aegon's first Hand of the King. One by one, the remaining kingdoms fell under Aegon's control as the kings (now Lord Paramounts) bent the knee. Few did it willingly, however, and a great deal of blood remained to be shed. Torrhen Stark of the North was perhaps the most resistant of all. The Northern campaign proved to be the most difficult due to the size of the territory and the harsh conditions, worsened by the fact that winter had already come. Nonentheless, Aegon's dragons were the turning point and in the Battle of Winterfell the old northern fortress was nearly destroyed by dragonfire. Stark quickly bent the knee, refusing to see his home go down in flames. Dorne submitted willingly soonafter, leaving the Kingdom of Mountain and Vale as the only one left to accept vassalization. While the terrain of the Vale was difficult to conquer, Aegon's now massive host of soldiers as well as his dragons easily toppled the ancient fortress of the Eyrie. Post Conquest Following the subjugation of the Vale, Aegon had perhaps an even more difficult task: organizing his new realm and keeping his vassals in line. Most of the newly-appointed Lord Paramounts despised him for being a foreign invader. Still, they feared him and his dragons, and few would dare challenge him publicly. The biggest decision Aegon faced after the conquest was the location of his new kingdom's capital. He was urged by his family to remain at Dragonstone, the ancestral Targaryen seat, though he decided to build a new Capital at the Blackwater Rush, which he called King's Landing. Thus began the decade-long process of building the massive city, completed with its Red Keep and the so-called Iron Throne which was forged with dragonfire from hundreds of the swords of his fallen foes. Visenya and Rhaenys bore Aegon two more children: the Princes Vaemond and Rhaekar Targaryen. Meanwhile, Aegon was tasked with creating a Small Council, which he used as an opportunity to placate the new Lord Paramounts by offering the more powerful ones positions. Aegon also created a Kingsguard of the greatest knights in the realm, many of whom did not come from a noble house. While most of the kingdoms had submitted to Aegon as king, a few minor lords in the Trident refused. They believed that if they banded together, they could defeat the Targaryen and his dragons. Chiefly among them was House Tully, who fiercely resisted the new king of the Iron Throne. After delivering severe damage to Riverrun, the Tullys' keep, the Trident lords quickly bent the knee. Like most of Westeros' former kings, Aegon did not punish the Tully patriarch. Moreoever, he granted him the title of Lord Paramount of the Trident and gave him a seat on the council. The realm flourished under Aegon's rule and he became beloved by most everyone, with few exceptions. One of his greatest domestic accomplishments was the creation of the Kingsroad, a massive transportation network that connected each of the seven kingdoms. He also greatly fortified his newly built city of King's Landing and made the Red Keep an awe-inspiring fortress. Death After a few years of peace within the realm, Aegon decided to hold a massive tournament of King's Landing for all of the lords and ladies of the realm to attend. Countless nobles and even more commoners flocked to the city to catch a glimpse of the newly crowned dragon king, and the tourney proved to be a great success. However, the tournament was used by many as an excuse to petition to the king. One small lord from the Westerlands begged King Aegon to arrest and punish Lord Rodrik Farwynd, a minor noble from the Iron Islands, for raiding and pillaging his lands. Aegon agreed, and a host of soldiers were sent to arrest the Ironborn lord. Upon being hauled to the Red Keep in Chains, Lord Rodrik demanded a trial by combat. Aegon, seeing Rodrik as an easy kill, unseated himself from the Iron Throne and accepted the Ironborn's request with single combat in the throne room. The two dueled for nearly half an hour before Aegon slipped and took a killing blow form Rodrik. The entire court erupted into a state of shock, panic and uncertainty as no one had beleived Lord Rodrik stood even the smallest chance. Nonetheless, the Dragon King had fallen, and Rodrik left the Red Keep with a smile on his face. Characteristics and Traits At first glance, Aegon was a sight to behold. Tall, strong and handsome with long and flowing golden hair, the young Targaryen always left a lasting impression. He was feared by many due to being a dragonrider, and often showed little mercy to his foes on the battlefield. Many castles and holdfasts were burned to the ground in the conquest, and scores of lives were lost. In spite of this, Aegon was a remarkably just and kind king. He pardoned all of the former kings and queens of Westeros and offered them a seat of vassalage, and some were even awarded a spot on his small council. He ruled strictly but fairly and quickly became popular among the commoners and noblemen alike. During the war, countless lesser lords bent the knee voluntarily and betrayed their respective kings to fight for Aegon. Moreover, Aegon made great strides to ensure that the common people were well fed and taken care of, leading to him being praised by the smallfolk. Aegon was incredibly prideful and wanted everyone to know his strength and power as king. He spent extravagant amounts of money on King's Landing and the Kingsroad in an attempt to make it known just power powerful he was. Unfortunately for him, his pride led to his downfall in the duel with Lord Rodrik, as he believed he was more than capable of winning instead of letting a member of his Kingsguard take over. Aegon's Small Council and Kingsguard * Lord Paramount Loren Lannister '- Hand of the King * '''Dowager Queen Valaena Targaryen '- Master of Laws * 'Lord Paramount Torrhen Stark '- Master at Arms * '''Lord Paramount Edmund Gardener - Master of Coin * Lord Paramount Edmyn Tully - Master of Ships * Queen Visenya Targaryen** - Master of Whispers * Grand Maester Gawen * High Septon Polliver * Ser Orys Baratheon - 'Lord Commander of the Kingsguard * '''Ser Danos of Dalston '- Kingsguard * '''Ser Waymar* - Kingsguard * Ser Carlon* - Kingsguard * Ser Benedar* - Kingsguard * 'Ser Quenton Qoherys '- Kingsguard * 'Ser Tymeon Lannister '- Kingsguard *Denotes a knight of no noble house. **At the end of Aegon's reign, Queen Visenya was replaced by Princess Deria Martell as Master of Whispers. Notes * This page and the contents of it are the product of my current campaign in the A Game of Thrones ''mod for ''Crusader Kings II. While Aegon is obviously an established character in the lore, this is my own personal take on him based entirely on the events of the campaign. Category:Kings Category:House Targaryen Category:Male Category:Characters